Smarter Oral Care

Tag Archives: brushing

The following program, when followed nightly, can aid in the prevention of plaque, tooth decay and gum disease.

Dry brushing. The first step is brushing every tooth with a dry toothbrush at the gum crevice, both on the inside and on the outside of teeth. Hold the brush at a 45-degree angle to the teeth and slide the bristles closest to the inside of the upper lip under the gum. Vibrate the brush, making sure the tips of the bristles rotate under the gums (rather like scrubbing the cuticle of a fingernail). Use about ten quick rotations of the brush per tooth, trying not to lift the brush at any point (it’s been found that a person invariably lifts the brush on the same teeth time after time, and those teeth never get the right amount of cleaning). On the inside of the front teeth, hold the brush like a lollipop, parallel to the teeth, and brush with the tip, making sure the bristles slip under the gum. If you want to make sure the bristles get under the gum, bite the brush gently and you’ll force the bristles up. Continue reading →

Flossing is an essential part of your child’s self-care routine. Flossing prevents the buildup of plaque on and between the teeth.

Plaque is a sticky yellow substance that forms on teeth after eating carbohydrates such as bread, milk, raisins, soft drinks, cakes and candy. If not removed by brushing and flossing, bacteria grows on the plaque, forming an acid that leads to tooth decay. Plaque can even get down past gums and destroy the root and damage the bone supporting the teeth. Continue reading →

Everybody loves to smile, but lately you’ve been hating it because of the state of your teeth and gums. They are a mess, especially your receding gumline. You’re absolutely certain your smile looks more like a jack-o-lantern’s grimace than a genuine expression of warmth. You don’t need to clamp your mouth shut forever, but rather take a stab at a few methods that may help you regrow gums. Gum disease is the leading cause of extensive of gum damage. Feel fortunate that you found out the problem before you developed things like loose and sensitive teeth. If you already have sensitive or loose teeth, don’t waste any more time. Get yourself back to your dentist to get help with your receding gum problem. It’s always helpful to walk in with some knowledge of the receding gum treatments. Continue reading →

Bad breath is also termed as halitosis/fetor oris/breath malodor and foul breath. Halitosis is a term used to describe noticeably unpleasant smell exhaled in breathing. It affects a large proportion of population,estimated to be the third most frequent reason for seeking dental treatment , following tooth decay and periodontal disease. Bad breath increases during the day (maybe due to stress or fasting), eating certain foods (like garlic, onions,meat,fish and cheese), smoking and alcohol assumption. The mouth is dry and inactive during the night, the bad breath is usually worse when you wake up (morning breath) Continue reading →

We were told to brush our teeth twice daily since we were young, but do you ever wonder why? Clean teeth are not only important for our daily social life, it is also important for maintaining our general health. As we get older, our teeth also play an important part in our appearance. Whenever we smile or laugh, our pearly whites are the first thing that are seen by our companions. If we have dirty, yellow stained teeth, they are going to give other people an impression that we do not take care of our hygiene properly. In fact, many famous Hollywood stars and actors even went to the lengths of bleaching their teeth into an extreme shade of white, just to have a more perfect smile. Without teeth, our bone surrounding the teeth will also get resorbed faster. Often, toothless people will have a shortened lower facial height, resulting in a ‘collapsed’ look. When our bones are resorbed, our lips will also lose their support, which will also cause an unaesthetic appearance. Continue reading →

Types of cavities can be classified according to the places which they occur on a tooth

Dental decay is also known as cavities, and they occur when there is dissolution of the teeth surfaces. Our teeth is made up of crystal apatite, and they are very vulnerable to acid which will dissolve them. This organic acid is produced by bacteria found inside our mouth, and they derive the acid from food debris that are left inside our mouth. The three important factors that produce dental decay are bacteria, fermentable carbohydrate, and teeth. Therefore, to prevent formation of dental decay, one of the three factors must not be present in our mouth, as without one of it, formation of the organic acid will be impossible. Continue reading →